Sparring Partners, Nothing More
by Illusion of Insanity
Summary: Tactician and Lord, two fellow sword-wielders always found together. In battle, they are an unstoppable force. Off the field, they are an interesting pair of friends. Battle practice seems to be the only thing they ever engage in, leading Frederick to worry about this amnesiac being a threat. However, it seems the woman has her own opinion on their bond... [Arrogant!Brunette!Robin]
1. I May Not Know Who I Am

The sound of metal slamming against the blade of a sword rang out in the camp.

Heavy metal boots trampled grass and flowers alike as the Great Knight, Frederick the Wary, headed towards the noise. He had been searching for their leader all morning, and with that recent and quite hearty clang, he was certain of his location. The brunette narrowed his eyes as he escaped the shade of the tents and a hand raced up to protect his onyx orbs from the bright morning sun. Adjusting to the sudden surge of sunlight, he looked upon a grassy field.

Sure enough, a blue-haired swordsman was locked in combat with a slightly shorter sword-wielder, their eyes locked just as tightly as their weapons. Despite the heavy robe covering the brunette woman he was dueling with, the man seemed to be sweating far more from the effort of holding her blade back. A small amount of bitterness rose in his throat at the sight. Personally, he didn't exactly trust this newest Shepard. After all, how anyone could come down with a case of amnesia and yet still remember the name of Chrom, leader of the Shepards and prince of Ylisse was a mystery. In his mind, he had come to the conclusion that such things were impossible. However, she did make quite the actress.

He decided right then to interrupt the standstill with a well-timed clearing of his throat.

Chrom's vibrant blue eyes snapped to his lieutenant before the brunette even had a chance to look away from the weapons. The prince flashed a warm smile at the sight of his friend, allowing his focus to shift away from the duel. "Ah, Frederick. It's a pleasure to see you." The knight nodded before slowly shifting his attention to the woman. Surprisingly, she wasn't even sparing the newcomer to the field a single glance. Instead, her deep brown eyes were still locked on the two blades, the Bronze Sword and the Falchion. "Please, do tell what brings you here."

"Well, 'Milord," Frederick narrowed his eyes in displeasure at the lack of respect the new tactician was putting on full display. "It seems all is in order with our supplies. Our weapons are stocked, polished and at the ready, our food supply is at quite a respectable level and our tents themselves are almost like new." He paused to see the young woman splitting her lips in a sickening grin. Before the Great Knight had a chance to warn the prince, his blade was knocked away, taking its owner with it.

Chrom looked up in surprise just in time to greet the business end of the blade. That sharp and deadly weapon hovered right above his nose, swaying ever so slightly as to mock his fall. Frederick found his hand on his Silver Lance, gripping it tightly and waiting for her next move. A breathless laugh escaped her lips as the blue-haired man gave her a half-hearted—and admittingly childish—glare. "Well," Her voice carried across the grass, ringing out with a strong and smug tone. "I believe the term is checkmate?"

"That doesn't count!" The brunette man watched on with a slipping grip as the woman lifted her free hand to her face and brushed a stray lock of chocolate back to its proper place beside her cheek. "One does not strike when the opponent is distracted. It's common courtesy."

"Not true," The Tactician retorted quickly, almost as if she had been expecting such a childish complaint. "I distinctly recall you referring to it as 'the element of surprise', and endorsing it heartily against the enemy." Her lips flashed yet another twisted grin before her hand lowered the sword's tip to his chest. "I am simply practicing what you have taught me, Chrom."

Reluctantly, the fallen swordsmen nodded. "Well, I can't exactly argue with that reasoning." Black eyes narrowed as the man let a small laugh escape himself. Had the leader of the Shepards actually lost his mind? "However," A stern quality took over Chrom's features as he awkwardly held himself up just enough to dodge the blade. "I still consider this irrelevant to our current total."

"Pah!" Frederick turned his attention just in time to see the woman sheathing her sword with a slight lift of her feet. She then extended her hand towards her fallen leader, a smile still painted on her face. The blue-haired man didn't even pause for a single instant. He immediately grabbed on to the offered hand and let her aid in returning himself to an upright position. The two brushed off for a second before the brunette shot her leader a sly grin. "You simply don't want my total to surpass yours."

The man in full armor simply stood there with a frown at the sight. The young woman had been here for a month, and yet she had become one of Chrom's closest friends. Everyone in the Shepards seemed to trust this woman with _literally _their very lives, and yet she didn't even bother to give herself any further identity besides a name and a class. Did no one else fear that the woman was a viper, waiting to strike the prince when all was calm? Had they no sense of disbelief over her tale?

Feeling relatively sick of their cheerful chatter, Frederick decided to speak up. "'Milord, everything is in order." The swordsman simply nodded absently and continued to pay attention to the smug and self-satisfied words pouring out of the woman's mouth. That earlier bitterness was starting to take a clear form of both frustration and suspicion, forcing his eyes to sharpen into silent daggers. However, the chosen target was too busy teasing her leader over her recent win, earning calm and steady retorts and denial from the man beside her.

Ignored, how wonderful.

The sound of grass bowing down to another individual made Frederick turn his head. Lissa, the team's Cleric, was simply bounding over with a smile and wide eyes, obviously cheerful per the usual. "Frederick!" The man let out a sigh before letting his chin dip. Oh boy, here it comes. Might as well forget about stealing Chrom's attention at this point. "Hey, have you seen—" The young blond stopped short as she found her brother conversing with their newest Shepard. "Oh!" She nearly jumped in place at the sight. "There you are, Chrom!"

At the sound of his little sister's voice, the man looked up. "Ah, Lissa!" The brunette beside him simply blinked at him before turning to face the two at the edge of the field. Her eyes narrowed momentarily at the sight of Frederick, knowing full well of his distrust. However, this dark cloud passed fairly quickly, allowing her attention to be stolen by more important things. For example, the young girl beside the knight. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Well," The Great Knight and Tactician frowned as they realized Lissa had started her sentence with the worst thing possible, an inhale. "I was starting to get worried due to the fact that you seemed to disappear! One minute, you're over here in the camp, and the next second, you were gone! I decided to go looking for Frederick to see if he saw you, but it looks like you were just training with Robin again!" The brunette's frown lifted at her name, her attention reluctantly given to the girl with pigtails. "I shouldn't have worried," She slowly admitted with what seemed like a bit of embarrassment. "After all, you two have been spending an awful lot of time together lately!"

"..What?" All eyes snapped to the Tactician as a suddenly dark tone overtook her voice. She shifted on her weight as she stared at Lissa, her sword's sheath flashing in the sunlight. "What do you mean by that?"

Frederick's attention had now been stolen.

A bit of a smirk formed on his face as he examined her condition. Hiked up shoulders that blocked her neck, tight stance with outward pointing toes and yes, even the famous folding of the arms. Aha, so the young woman had taken a defensive stand against such a claim? Nothing could be more interesting or even incriminating than that. So, against his normally wise and rational judgement, he started to poke at the hornet's nest.

"Why, it makes perfect sense to me, Lissa." Robin and Chrom both snapped their attention to the Great Knight as he began to grin. The woman raised an eyebrow at this, seeing as her whole time with the Shepards had consisted with Frederick's skepticism. The man ignored her eyes and instead grinned at the young blond beside him. "Once a man and a woman start spending time with each other, it is only a matter of time before an attraction occurs."

The prince suddenly stood up straight with wide eyes and bright cheeks, already catching where his lieutenant was taking this conversation. The young Tactician beside him however, seemed blind to the meaning, and instead glared at the man in full-body armor. Chrom opened his mouth to speak, but not a single sound left his lips. In fact, his embarrassment was ignored by all parties present.

"After all," The Great Knight shot the duo a meaningful smirk as Lissa simply clasped her hands together and laughed. "I would not be surprised if our young Tactician had already fallen victim to that pink menace." Lissa beamed at this and immediately started babbling on about love and the stories she had heard when she was young, about great heroes finding their true love on the battlefield and guarding the haildom of Ylisse.

Frederick simply nodded absently at the young princess and instead turned to the two training partners. His heart nearly stopped as he saw the fruits of his work. He had expected to see Robin standing there with wide eyes and flaring cheeks and a quivering lip, unable to hold her composure with the mention of such feminine things. Instead, he was standing witness to _Chrom's_ stuttering and bright face, unable to stand still for a single second. It was at that very second that he realized that his plan of exposing a motivation for the brunette had backfired. If anything, it had officially ruined any and all chances of claiming her as a viper.

For if his leader was _in love_, there was no way he could sway him to dislike the newest Shepard.

A pale hand clenched as Robin ground her teeth. Love? Pah! Such a trivial thing would never sway her! She was a Tactician, and now, a Shepard. How undignified! How _unprofessional_, to fall in love with one's commanding officer! She would never bring shame to Shepards in such a way. Her right boot dug in to the soft soil, uprooting a patch of grass from its home. Her chin was plastered to her chest as she fought the urge to yell. She would handle this with dignity and grace, not like a child.

"Me? In _love_?" All eyes snapped to the young brunette as she started to slam that boot into the new patch of exposed earth. "Pah! The utter thought is ridiculous, Frederick! Why would I _ever _do such a thing?" The brunette man raised an eyebrow in interest as the woman childishly scrunched up her face and flicked her hair out of her eyes. The prince beside her stared on with a mix of confusion and worry before wiping all emotions from his face, leaving a stern face to rival even the Great Knight.

"Chrom and I are simply sparring partners, nothing more."

Not even bothering to wait for their reactions, the young woman strutted away with an audible huff of air and heavy boots. The brunette cut between the two fellow Shepards blocking the way to the camp's heart and walked away without even so much as a passing glance to the man who had utter such blasphemous words. The three watched as she roughly tossed aside her tent's entrance and hid away from their eyes, sealing the makeshift doorway with a loud exhale.

Well, that was one way to end training.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: Guess who got Fire Emblem: Awakening for Christmas this year? Yeah, this girl right here.<br>_

_So, after_ finally _being able to pass Chapter One/Two, which the demo forces you stay on, I realized how great these characters are. I just really like the personality they all have, you know? So, after realizing that the Robin on my save file has a bit of arrogance and remembering a distinct lack of Brunette!Robin out there, I decided to fix that. So, hello there, Awakening fans! I, IllusionsOfInsanity will be writing a Arrogant!Brunette!Robin, so I hope you enjoy! This is my first time writing in this universe, but I'm certainly no newbie to this. I'm a bit rusty on their speech patterns, but I'm hoping that I'm not too far off._

_Hope you stick around!_


	2. But as Long as You Have My Back

It wasn't until the dead of night before Chrom finally found his Tactician out and about.

By now, the searing heat of the noon had been wasted on the grassy plains and had fallen to the moon's milky rays and chill. The blues that cloaked the camp made the canvas town tower above a man's head and close in around him. Most of the Shepards had the sense to turn in for the night and rest up for another day of protecting their flock from the monsters that plagued them. However, most does not mean _all_, which is how the prince of Ylisse managed to finally locate his Tactician.

His metal boots stopped as he found the grassy patch he had occupied earlier in the day now bathed in an orange glow. A single campfire on the edge of camp was usually found much sooner than this, making him feel as if he had slipped in observation just a _tiny_ bit. However, he shook it off eventually. A small smile slipped on his face as he watched the flames dance in their standard sway, illuminating this one spec of the world with a gentle light. It was actually soothing, the way it always bobbed back and remained strong.

It could be soothing, or heartbreaking.

Eventually, the prince of Ylisse pulled his eyes off of the fire and wandered over the small field. Robin simply sat in place with her sword on her lap, a dirty rag in her hand and the light of the fire dancing in her eyes. A small wooden bucket sat directly beside her, waiting to be used to put out those comforting flames. The blue-haired man sat down with a heavy exhale as the young woman simply focused on her blade, ignoring him.

Not really surprising, what with Frederick's terrible jest earlier.

"So," Chrom shifted in place with narrowed eyes, staring straight through the fire and right at the brunette. "Not sleeping tonight, I take it?" The Tactician simply let out a huff and lifted her cloth with a careful hand. Surprisingly, she dipped the fabric in the bucket beside her and then applied the water to her blade, cleaning it with a slow rhythm. The man just laughed and shook his head. Figures that she wouldn't respond.

"Is your blade _still_ dirty?" Robin slowly lifted her eyes with an emotionless mask, her normally vibrant eyes shrouded from his sight. "With all of the polishing you do, I would have thought you cleaned straight through any metal it may have had." A bit of self-satisfaction swooped in when he realized that she had actually lifted her head and shot him one of those crooked smiles before going back to her sword. Perhaps she was paying attention after all.

"Just because I enjoy killing those disgusting Risen, doesn't mean that I want them to leave mementos on my blade." Her voice seemed to be a bit stronger then it had been when she had left, so that was another good sign. "A hero must keep their weapon in peak condition, lest they want to seem sloppy." A sly grin formed on her face before it slipped away. "I may be ruthless on the field, but I am certainly not neglectful of my sword."

"Good," The leader of the Shepards nodded as he watched her hand reach the very tip of her blade. "I wouldn't want you setting a terrible example for the rest of the group. If they start to go bloodthirsty, I at least want a clean camp." The brunette let out a laugh before shaking her head. Judging by her current demeanor, the incident with Frederick had lost its impact. Eventually, he would have to have a word with his lieutenant to find out what exactly was the bright idea behind such out-of-character behavior. For now, he would happily sit here and relax.

"I am _not_ bloodthirsty," The usual tone rang true above the click and snap of the flames, haughty and proud. "I am simply doing all of Ylisse a favor by ridding them of this terrible menace and protecting their buffoon of a prince." She closed her eyes just as Chrom shot her another half-hearted glare. "It's not my fault he's always getting himself into trouble."

"Hey," He faked a stern frown as the woman examined the shimmer of her blade. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." He dramatically placed a hand on his chest and shot a grin her way. "After all, I _am_ the leader of the Shepards, in case you happened to forgot somewhere along the line." His Tactician simply laughed it off and dropped the stained cloth in the bucket beside her.

"And that explains how I've saved your butt five times in the span of a month." His smile faded with her words, forcing him to display a glare. "You're so reckless, Chrom."

"I believe you're thinking of yourself, Robin." The prince sat up a bit taller with a dignified motion. "After all, I've never seen a woman charge into danger like you do." The brunette just chuckled and shook her head, her hand resting on her blade and watching the droplets of water race down the Bronze Sword and stain her robe's lap. "Certainly Sully has been known to get in over her head, but you just seem to take that to a new extreme." A bit of a laugh escaped him at the thought. "It's almost like you're a Ferox."

The young woman stared at him for a few moments before laughing and shaking her head, her hair whipping her cheeks as she did so. By the time she regained her composer, her cheeks were a vibrant red. "You know very well that I'm a Ylissian." Her face clouded with a sort of darkness for a second before she shook it off and grinned. "I mean, that's what it feels like. I'm just braver than the standard fare."

Chrom nodded absently as he watched the fire light up her blade. Bravery? Pah! Sometimes, he wondered if she ever thought of herself during those battles. Certainly, she was a crafty and vicious Tactician for the rest of the Shepards, directing them to attack any opening that appeared so long as they were in pairs. However, when she was alone, she never seemed to heed her own advice. She would be there next to you one heartbeat, and then she was suddenly pulling away and stabbing the chest of a Risen. It was a wonder that she was still alive. At this point, the prince was still debating if that was bravery or, as Frederick called it, foolishness. At the end of the day, everyone came home safe and sound, and the villagers were safe from danger.

But gods, did she know how to scare a man breathless!

Suddenly, a low rumble emerged from the darkness. The blue-haired man jumped to his feet just seconds before his Tactician, his eyes narrowed at the northwest. Just what was that? His hand instinctively reached for the sheath at his hip, searching for the familiar and reassuring chill of metal in his hand. Was the camp under attack? His eyes searched the horizon, but he ultimately found nothing. Curse this darkness! Without having a clear idea of what he was facing, his heart started to pound in his chest. Should he wake the others? This could be serious.

"..Risen." Blue eyes raced back to find the brunette on her feet with a tight scowl. "I bet you anything that they're out there right now." The prince frowned at this before looking towards the inky forms of tents to his right.

"Should we wake the others?" His Tactician looked over to the tents with a tight frown, her eyes reflecting the few bits of fire that danced above the circle, floating in air. "We might need the backup. Besides," He motioned to the direction the noise came from and shook his head. "We might need someone to stand guard over the camp. They might try to attack while the others are asleep."

"Frederick is already awake." Robin pointed to the mass of tents before looking back to the slightly taller sword-wielder. "He wouldn't dare go to sleep while the others are. He's the type of man who would hear a mouse sneak into our grain stores." A smirk flashed on her face for a fraction of a heartbeat. "Either a mouse, or a viper." A rock seemed to form in Chrom's gut at the mention of the second option, but he tried to swallow and ignore it. "In any case," Deep brown orbs raced to his face as the woman frowned. "He will guard the camp with his very life."

"Still," The prince narrowed his eyes at her while his grip on his blade tightened. "It seems reckless to charge off into battle at such a late hour. Not only is it dark, but we're only two people." His eyes softened slightly when he realized that the brunette already holding her sword at her side, ready to dash away. "We're not invincible, you know. We could at least take Sumia or Sully with us, just for the backup." The blue-haired man felt a bit surprised to find her scrunching up her nose at the mention of the others. Her eyes were basically slits as she shook her head vigorously.

"No, I can handle this!" She paused after realizing how her voice came out, harsh and angry. "I-I mean," She looked away for a minute before turning back with a cocky grin, all traces of that moment of anger gone. "We can handle this Chrom! If we head out now, we can asses the situation. _If_ things get a bit rough, we can head back and wake the others." She brushed off the front of her heavy robe before flashing a grin. "However, I already know that we can take any Risen that dare to rear their disgusting, rotting faces this way!"

A moment of silence passed as the man stared down at his Tactician. Normally, he wouldn't dare doubt her judgement. However, she was suggesting that only two people head out to face what could very well be a whole army of Risen. His grip faltered for a moment before coming back even stronger than before. The determination in her eyes was almost overwhelming, and the smile on her face certainly wasn't helping matters. He could feel something in his chest squirm in discomfort, something that made him feel a bit warmer. Eventually, he gave up. He had a sneaking suspicion that this was reckless, dangerous and worst of all, stupid. However, he knew somewhere in his mind that if he refused to aid the attack, she would leave him behind for a solo attack.

Gods knew that he would never leave her to her own devices like that.

A reluctant sigh slipped through his lips, lighting up the brunette's face. "All right, we'll go." He watched with a half-hearted smile as the woman slammed a fist into the air and lifted her sword once again. His eyes narrowed with a bit of worry as she headed behind the bucket. "However, I want you to know that this is one of the most reckless plans you've ever come up with." With a simple kick of her boot, the wooden pail toppled over and extinguished the lowly source of light. The smoke billowed out into the stars as a few glimmers of orange floated out of existence. An irritation in his throat forced him into a bout of coughing, leaving his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"You worry too much, Chrom." Robin walked right to his side with light steps before a sudden burst of light dazed his eyes. The Tactician grinned as a single flame lifted in her hand, summoned by one of her tomes. "I'm certain that with my heroics and your strength, we can rid this field of any blots of Risen, outnumbered or otherwise!" Her words, despite the arrogance that dripped from every syllable, held some sort of reassurance, and left the Lord to stand tall in the blue veil.

"Right," Chrom nodded at the low source of light before turning to the woman's face. "Lead the way. I'll follow your flame." The Tactician nodded in return and raced off with a vibrant grin, leaving the prince of Ylisse behind in the swirling remains of the smoke and the dry dust of the field. Her orange and crimson light bobbed in her hand, providing a streak of light. Feeling a swirl of doubt for a fraction of a second, he lifted his chin a bit higher. Oh, he might as well be a fool. Reluctantly, he took a few steps towards the fleeing light before racing after it with his swords at the ready.

Please, let there only be a few cows out there.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: And we're back!<em>

_It seems that arrogance isn't the only thing Robin's known for! In this case, it also seems that she possesses a (un)healthy amount of drive to rid Ylisse of her enemies. Whether this is considered bloodlust or not, no one knows. All we know is that she seems to smile the brightest when she has a chance to wield her sword and cut down a few Risen. _

_What will they face out there? Will they truly find the darkness that is the Risen, or will this all turn out to be a bust? Find out next time!_


	3. I Will Stand Beside You

There was no better scent than the stench of the Risen.

At least, that's what it seemed like when the Shepard's Tactician stopped dead in a tree-enclosed field. The darkness could be a bit of an enemy in and of itself, but she didn't feel that terrible pit in her stomach like others would. In fact, she felt invincible. She sometimes wondered if she truly _was_ bloodthirsty, or if she was just a bit zealous about battling in general. When she was behind the blade, she felt so powerful, so in control. Everything was precise and beautiful, so free-flowing. Not only that, but when she was against Risen enemies, she didn't have to hold back. These disgusting carcasses were already dead, so there was no reason to have mercy against them. She was free to be as ravenous and brutal as she chose, and that proved to lift a weight off her shoulders. She wasn't exactly sure why, but she was a bit fond of the surge of relief and self-satisfaction that came while her enemy dissolved at her feet.

It was almost like she was releasing some pent up energy, but that was a crazy idea, right?

The sound of crunching grass made her look over her shoulder, her blade risen as to shield herself. It turned out to be a useless reflex, for the new entrant turned out to be none other than her leader, the Prince of Ylisse. A smirk appeared on her face as something lifted in her chest. The way he was gasping for air right now, his eyes narrowed into slits to adjust to the single source of light, was almost comical to her. Scratch that, it _was_ comical. She fought the urge to laugh at him and instead lifted her blade to shield her chest.

"Took you long enough, Chrom." The dirty look he shot her way did nothing but make her smile grow wider. "You took so long, I was starting to think that you chickened out." Her brown orbs narrowed to accent her jest as she went on, "_So_ long in fact, that I already eliminated all of the Risen here." The result was instantaneous. The man's earlier tired demeanor changed to show worried eyes and clenched hands, his blade held tightly almost as if he feared dropping it.

"You cannot be serious." He shot her a searching glare and she only responded with a snicker and a playful narrowing of her eyes. "Please, tell me that you weren't stupid enough to engage in battle all alone." The lift in her chest had now become a sort of warmth, and she didn't mind it at all. In fact, she relished in it. Somehow, this feeling was the best she could ever remember. Her mind could try all it wanted, but some things she just couldn't remember. One thing she could remember was the face of this prince, for some strange reason. She wasn't going to sit around worrying about it, though. She was going to fight alongside the Shepards and enjoy this warmth.

"Nah," She elbowed the taller swordsman and watched as his hiked up shoulders fell with a heavy exhale. "I'm only kidding, of course." She lifted her free hand with a dramatic swish of her sleeve and continued, "Like I would ever be such a fool. That would only prove Frederick's point, after all." Her smile fell as she realized that she had verbally brought up one of the few subjects she was silent upon, Frederick's disapproval. The quick rush of regret over her words was only amplified by the look of confusion on the prince's face.

"Robin?" The Tactician looked away with a sloppy grin and tried to ignore the burning of his gaze against her head. "What are you talking—"

Before the Lord could finish his question, the ground shook violently under their feet. A burst of shock rippled out as they struggled to grab hold of something, _anything_ to stop the terrible quiver of their legs. The young woman had the right idea, and quickly snatched an outward branch of the nearest tree, extinguishing her tiny flame with a frantic wave of her hand. She clung to the bark with struggling gasps of air, trying to slow the throbbing of her heart. Above the roar of the earth, she could hear yelling. Not just any yelling, but the yelling of a familiar voice. She swiftly looked to her right and found Chrom's silhouette struggling to do anything but stand there, the tremors getting more and more violent with each and every hollow pump of her heart. Clenching her teeth to try to brace herself against the shift, she reached out and just barely managed to grab the erratically wavering cape. Blue eyes snapped to her own chocolates as he found her tightly gripping both safety and himself, trying to bring him closer. The head Shepard cringed as he tried to move towards, but the shaking had become so violent, he couldn't even see straight. His free hand grabbed her arm, trying to steady at least something in this strange swirl.

Suddenly, just as soon as it started, everything grew still.

Ragged breathing echoed throughout the sheltered field. With the shaking gone, Chrom could finally move a bit closer to the towering oak beside them. Robin simply held on with wide eyes, her head feeling as if her brain was jumping around in her skull. Her legs were a bit shaky, but she was certain it was nothing compared to how dizzy her leader must feel right now. She opened her mouth to check on him, only for a bright orange to light up the clearing. Both heads lifted just in time to see a giant fireball crash into one of the bordering trees, splintering whole branches and leaving the duo to run out of the way of falling spears of wood. A bit of a growl rose in Robin's throat as she glared into the trees. That had to have been magic, meaning something was _indeed_ out there. Risen mages, perhaps?

She soon got her answer.

Glowing red orbs flashed on the opposite end of the clearing only seconds before the bodies who owned them rushed out towards them. The brunette glared at them as her heart began to pound. "Here they come," Chrom shouted beside her as they readied their blades, waiting to counter-strike. "I hope you're still eager for a fight, because these Risen seem pretty excited for a few sparring partners!" One of the nearest Risen, a Barbarian in a former life, managed to lift his axe and take a swing at the prince. The blue-haired man struggled back as his blade connected with the weapon, blocking it from advancing. His Tactician bounced back with a quick bit of footwork before slashing the pearly skin of its back, relishing in the purple smog and strange goop that emerged from the wound. She spun around just as Chrom threw his attacker off, lifting her blade to block the two incoming Barbarians.

"Ngh," She nearly bit her tongue as her Bronze Sword kicked back upon the impact, allowing her the pleasure of the reeking breath of her enemy to blow in her face. "It seems they've brought a bunch of easy ones!" She flung the beast back with a grunt before slashing the body across the chest and jumping back just in time to avoid a swing of his axe. Behind her, the sound of metal meeting the blade of an axe rang out, proving that the prince was doing more than just standing around and looking pretty. Good thing too, because as much as she hated to admit it, three-on-two was a bit more difficult in person than it was on paper or in her mind.

"Oh really?" The Lord dodged another strike before landing a brilliant strike of his own right were the heart of his enemy would have been, had this not been a fight against a decaying husk. The former Barbarian fell back with harsh thump before bursting into vibrant purple clouds. The leader of the Shepards crinkled his nose in disgust before rushing to hold off the second Barbarian, standing directly beside his Tactician and her attempt to block a slash at her face. His eyes snapped to her own as he stole a few precious seconds to flash her a mocked version of her own cocky grin. "I don't know what battle you're in right now, but it surely cannot be this one!"

The brunette let out a laugh before lifting her leg and kicking her Barbarian in the gut, forcing it back just enough to land a sloppy strike on its face. The sword-wielder let out a disgusted sound at her own handiwork before stabbing it through the stomach and giving it a violent twist of her blade. "Funny," She yanked out her weapon just seconds before the fallen enemy dissolved and then turned her blade to land another back-slash on her partner's opponent. "Because this seems pretty easy to me!" Chrom flashed a grateful smile before landing the final blow, leaving the body to collapse on the ground. Both of the Shepards watched the crumpled form dissipate before letting out a few harsh exhales and desperate inhales, searching for oxygen to replenish their diminished store.

Just as Robin opened her mouth with another brag, a harsh crack rang out. The duo looked to their left just in time to see another heavy branch break off from its parent tree and race to deliver its flames to the ground. "Move it!" The blue-haired man raced ahead only seconds before his partner, dodging the limb with ease. He looked over his shoulder just in time to see his Tactician take a desperate leap that let her escape by the skin of her teeth, falling straight into the dirt. The brunette silently struggled to her feet with the sound of her blood racing in her ears, blocking out the rabid crackling of the flames. "Are you all right, Robin?" The woman looked up with an open mouth of wonder before stubbornly shaking her head. She lifted her Bronze Sword just a bit higher as a sign of her well-being, and watched as the man nodded in confirmation. The two looked around for a few moments, searching for any other Risen troops. Had those three been the cause of all that noise? It seemed like there would be a whole lot more than only three with that whole show.

They didn't have to wait long for more.

A low rumble filled the vacant space before the pale and broken bodies of the Risen started to rise from the very ground itself. The Tactician cringed before gripping the hilt of her sword that much tighter. "Well," She bitterly grinned at the man beside her before entering a ready position. "Looks like we've got a few more guests than we planned for," Her voice lifted ever so slightly as the two raced towards the nearest Barbarian, landing a few solid blows and watching its knees buckle before running to the next one in line. "However, I'm certain that we have more than enough to go around!" She slashed the next one across the face and grinned with pride as Chrom finished it off with a sharp slash to the chest.

"Don't push yourself too hard!" The Prince of Ylisse frowned as the shorter wielder raced off towards an unguarded mage and slashed it in the stomach, aiming for places that would deal more damage. The brunette just nodded before landing a sharp kick to the beast's back that sent its face burrowing into the dirt, leaving it to disappear. He rolled his eyes with irritation as he slashed another Mage in the face and gave it a sharp elbow to the gut to clear the way. His eyes widened as he found her suddenly racing straight into the way of a Risen Knight, charging straight towards the point of its Lance. The brunette swerved just in time to miss being impaled, but she was still given a slash on her right arm by a desperate swing that sent her tumbling to the ground.

"Robin!" Chrom ended up ducking under a swing from a nearby Barbarian and rushing through the crowd of Risen, trying to reach his Tactician. He skidded to a stop beside her and held his sword at the ready, his eyes locked on to the slow-moving suit of armor. "Hey, are you all right?" She looked up with a cringe of pain before pulling herself up and giving him a nod.

"Yeah," She rolled her right shoulder with a cringe, trying to loosen up her sword-wielding arm. She suddenly let out a sharp squeak of pain before flinching backwards. The blue-haired man shot her a worried glance before snapping his attention back to the enclosing circle of Risen, the foul beasts taking advantage of the situation to block them in. "Ngh," She lifted herself to her feet slowly, the point of her blade digging in the earth. "It's just a scratch." She cringed as that so-called 'scratch' let a wave of heat race up her arm, leaving her unable to hold her sword without her arm screaming in protest. The effort did not go unnoticed, even as the prince slowly turned to protect himself from the clockwise circle of enemies.

"Looks like more than a scratch to me." The brunette shot him a scolding glare before tucking her sword into her sheath and pulling out her standby weapon, a yellow tome. Chrom raised an eyebrow at this before letting out a bit of a chuckle. "This isn't the time for reading, Robin. We're actually surrounded at the moment, in case didn't happen to notice."

"Oh," The woman's voice dropped to a bitter tone as she steadied herself and held the book open with her right hand. "I noticed." The pain from her wound wasn't as profound when it was holding the tome, bringing a bit of relief. Even so, that didn't stop that terrible feeling somewhere in her mind that this tome was dangerous. True, she felt like she knew how to use it, and use it effectively. However, she felt some sort of darkness from this, as if she knew a bit _too well_ as to how deadly the bolts of lighting she produced were. She gulped as a dry sensation rose in her throat. Well, she didn't have much of a choice. She may be a bit more practiced in the ways of the sword, but she would fight with all she had with this tome.

The Prince of Ylisse didn't seem to appreciate the stall in his partner's movements. His eyes jumped back to her over his shoulder, glaring at the frozen arm of his Tactician. "Hey, you still remember how to use that thing or what?" Listening to his voice somehow made her flinch, raising a bit of worry in the man's mind. "We could really use some of that Thunder of yours right now, if you would so kind." The brunette nodded before taking a deep breath, trying to calm the heavy beats of her heart. She had to focus, that much she knew. Magic was a delicate thing, and not using it properly could lead to a terrible mistake. The last thing she wanted to do was take out her own partner.

Robin fought to keep her breathing steady as she held her left hand out, trying to summon the energy. Her palm seemed to be on fire, heat growing and spreading up to her shoulder. With a deep inhale, she snapped her eyes open, focused on the closest of the Barbarians and sharply catapulting her arm forward. A blast of electric energy raced from her hand and pierced the beast's stomach, making it burst into purple smoke nearly instantly. A proud smirk grew on her face as a relieved sigh slipped from Chrom's lips.

"Thank the gods." The swordsman looked down to see his partner shooting him a bit of a stubborn glare, but he ignored it. "I was starting to worry that you had forgotten how to use your magic." A quiet laugh and his sword was raised just a bit higher. "The last thing I want is for you to misfire and hit me instead." Those words sent off some sort of panic inside of the Tactician, but the effect was ignored by the speaker. "You always seemed to prefer the blade."

"I just like to feel that weight in my hand, that is all." Robin quickly covered her face with her hood, feeling her face warm with discomfort. The Lord didn't seem to mind the strange gesture, and instead focused on the incoming enemies. They were being painfully slow, almost as if they were figuring out which one would attack first. The brunette seemed to realize this as well, for she lifted her chin towards the taller Shepard with shrouded eyes. "They're figuring out who should attack us first, the Mages, the Barbarians or the Knight." She paused to find blue eyes locked on to the only part of her face exposed, her cheeks and mouth. "Keep up a barrier while I try to even out the numbers."

Chrom rolled his eyes as the woman returned to her spellbook. "Oh, sure. Leave me to take all of the hits while you attack. Great idea, Tactician. I knew I picked a good woman for this role." Robin shot him yet another glare before shaking her head at his tone. Sarcastic, that's fantastic. The current attacker shot him a glare before blasting another Barbarian with a Thunder attack. Yet another Risen fell to his fate as the duo stood in the circle of enemies. Just as she was about to launch another, the remaining Mages started readying their own attack—fireballs.

"Uh," The prince shifted awkwardly as the brunette lifted her head. "We've got a bit of a complication here." A loud growl rang out as the woman did the unthinkable. She tucked her book away in her robe before lowering herself into a ready position, waiting to attack. Chrom looked over his shoulder and nearly choked at the sight. "What are you doing?!" She ignored his panic and instead clenched and loosened her fists. "Don't go into this without a weapon! You'll end up getting killed!"

"I'm fine!" The words were spat out with a startling amount of frustration. Her partner raised an eyebrow with worry in his eyes as she shifted in place. "I've memorized the spell, it's just more accurate if I use the book." Before he could open his mouth to protest, she spat back, "If you want to live, we're going to have to take a chance." She lifted her head just enough to expose her eyes, flashing cold chocolate orbs. "You have to trust me."

He paused for a minute, his blade lowering as he did so. This was an insane idea; using magic without a tome. Such an idea could lead to her getting killed, or even the _both_ of them getting killed in this one clearing. What would become of the Shepards if they failed? What would happen to _Ylisse_? Frustration bubbled up in Chrom's throat. Despite all of their jests, they were seriously in trouble. Why had he agreed to this in the first place? He should have insisted on bringing more than just a Lord and a Tactician, instead of coming alone like this. However, he knew that if he hadn't have come, she would have run off by herself. She really was one to charge into a fight, no matter the enemy. He really only had one choice, as painful as it was.

"Fine," Chrom sighed. The light that took over her face lifted some of the pressure in his chest, but it didn't help the dread in his gut. "But be careful! I want you to come out of this alive, not over my shoulder!" The brunette nodded before taking a deep breath. At once, electricity flowed down her arms and collected at her palms.

"I will, don't worry about me." Despite her wording, there was a bit of softness in her tone. "You just start swinging that sword of yours and get rid of some of these monsters." Chrom gave her a nod, and she was off. Robin dashed right up to one of the Mages, rubbing her palms together as she grew closer. The friction somehow amplified the volts, making the energy cover both of her hands. She quickly fired off one of her shots by channeling it to flow out from her pointer finger, her thumb up just for show. She then leaped back just in time to spin around and fling the other charge, knocking out a nearby Soldier. Chrom nodded in a bit of approval before launching himself at the nearest Barbarian and slashing its face with his blade.

Seconds ticked by like hours, each and every hit seemingly slowed down to play out before their eyes. They had greatly underestimated just how many enemies would appear, and they soon found themselves facing up to nearly twenty Barbarians, Mages and Soldiers, avoiding the swipes from the towering Knight. While Chrom slashed his enemies with his mighty Falchion, Robin landed electric punches and hurled great orbs of Thunder at unsuspecting foes. After chipping them away for what felt like hours, they finally took out the very last Mage, leaving only the gigantic Risen Knight to deal with.

Robin soon found herself fighting for her breath, bent over with her hands on her knees. Man, she might have overdone it. Fighting without a weapon may look cool, but it was strenuous very quickly. She was lucky that she had memorized that spell as well as she had. She reluctantly lifted her head to the great figure of armor before letting out a groan. Her body felt it was on fire right now, and she was pretty sure that one of those Barbarians had actually landed a slash on her thigh. Curse that ill-timed jump!

"Hey," She looked up to find Chrom giving her a worried look. "You all right down there?" A bit of fury rose in her throat before she jumped to her feet, albeit a bit too quickly. Her head swam as she shook her head and held her palms out.

"Top form!" She sang out her answer, hoping to throw him off by just a bit. Her eyes scanned her partner with a bit of worry, trying to see if he was anywhere near fighting condition himself. Luckily for him—and maybe for her—he only seemed to have a slight cut on his right cheek and a new dent in his shoulder-plate, but other than that, he was just as she left him. She nodded in self-confirmation before pulling herself back just a tad. "Let's knock this suit of armor out of here!"

"Don't push yourself," Chrom seemed dead-set on reminding her again, causing a bit of annoyance to rise in her throat. "You shouldn't put yourself so close to that thing; it nearly turned you into a piece of festival-food!" The Tactician gave him a bit of a growl before readying another large orb of Thunder energy in her palms. At the nod of the head, Chrom took off with his sword at the ready. His Tactician watched from behind, her mind swimming. Something inside of her felt fear, whether it be from the sheer amount of unstable energy she held in her hands or from the strange fear of magic inside of her, she didn't quite understand. However, she knew that she had to help. If that meant throwing herself into the thick of things, so be it.

She raced after with a pounding head, hoping that things would go as planned. Chrom was already going toe-to-toe with that behemoth, his Falchion slamming against metal plate and bouncing off fairly quickly. Robin cringed as her leg started to throb under her weight; that cut might have been a bit worse than she thought. Trying to ignore the terrible flames that were consuming every inch of her left leg, she rubbed her palms together. The energy she already held was quite substantial, and with this extra charge, it was at a dangerous level. She had to fire this thing and _now_. It was too much; the energy was racing up her arms and all the way down her spinal column, and that didn't feel too pleasant. With a grunt of effort, the brunette leaped into the air and spun madly, trying to get a little bit of a boost. Then, with a great heave of her arms, she flung the orb of Thunder as far as she could.

Luckily for her, a Risen Knight makes a beautiful lightning rod.

The Prince of Ylisse jumped back just in time to dodge the sparks emanating from the great beast. The unlucky enemy shivered and shook with spasms, unable to control its body with all of the excess energy. Robin watched on in a sick fascination as remnants of the attack coursed through her veins. Had she really carried all of that power in the palm of her hands? The sheer thought of having so much power was almost starling and yet at the same time very exciting. Imagine the things she could do! She could truly become a hero of Ylisse! The giant of metal crashed to the ground, creating yet another tremor. The sword-wielder let out a long sigh before letting his shoulders slump, his trusted weapon feeling substantially heavier than it had earlier. Slowly, he turned to his Tactician. Robin just flashed him an overjoyed grin and stood up, trying to shift her weight to her right leg.

"That's it." Relief dripped from the prince's voice, making his partner just nod in excitement. "We got them." Another heavy exhale and suddenly he was letting out a laugh and clutching his chest. "Gods," His laughter spread to his voice as he slowly lifted his head, meeting his Tactician's eyes. "That was incredible! I don't think a single soul will believe that we took on all of those Risen by ourselves!"

"And won!" Robin added with enthusiasm, the adrenalin she had relied so heavily on earlier still leaving trace amounts in her veins. "We kicked those disgusting corpses so hard, they will be feeling that in the past!" Blue eyes just rolled in amusement as Chrom stood up a bit taller and walked over, stopping right in front of the shorter Shepard with a crooked grin of his own. "Perhaps even the future as well, if there's a future for dead things...that were...uh, re-killed." The prince just shook his head and placed a hand on her left shoulder, missing how she flinched from the bolt of pain.

"So, it's an omnipresent defeat?" His voice seemed very amused by the idea, but Robin ignored that part. She simply nodded vigorously and beamed.

"Exactly, Chrom! An omnipresent kick to the face!"

The blue-haired man just laughed before tucking his blade away and smiling. "Sounds very painful. However, I think it's in our best interest to leave this clearing before it catches on fire or something." Feeling a bit confused by his words, the brunette looked over her shoulder and found out his reasoning. Oh, that branch. Her eyes widened as she recalled how that flaming branch had nearly crushed her, leaving her to leap out of the way and crash to the ground. That felt like _days _ago! She was faintly surprised that the fire hadn't spread to the grasses, but it seemed that it had preferred to char every last inch of the fallen branch. The flames on the tree itself were still burning and had indeed spread to adjacent trees. A few branches were falling here and there, but they seemed to be landing quite a ways away from them, seeing as they were currently standing in the dead center of the clearing. She turned back to her partner and gave him a nod, which he gladly returned.

As the Prince of Ylisse and the head of the Shepards lead the way back to camp, Robin felt something like a stone in her gut. She felt like she was forgetting something, something very important. She reluctantly started to follow after him, her mind more focused on her thoughts than on any words that tumbled from Chrom's mouth—which were mainly relieved thanks and sharp inhales. The pain from her arm and thigh were making some sort of pulsating pain in her head, and it was making it very difficult to walk. If she wasn't mistaken, she might have been walking with a bit of a limp. That leg wasn't very stable at the moment, and she wasn't about to give it a reason to give out.

Just as she was passing a splotch of crimson in the grass—most likely from that gash on her thigh to be honest—she heard an alarming sound, a creaking that made her ears ring. A strange feeling of dread rose inside of her as she took a gulp of oxygen from the air. She reluctantly looked over her shoulder and found something that made her heart stop dead in her chest. Directly behind her, with its Lance raised in the air, was the Risen Knight. She didn't even have time to think; she simply yanked her Bronze Sword out of its sheath and lifted it to block the attack. Her arm felt like it was being torn off of her body as she opened her mouth and sacrificed any and all air she had to give in her lungs.

"_Chrom!_"

The Lord turned around to find the brunette on her knees, desperately holding up her blade with both hands, trying to keep the deadly weapon away from her face. Chrom's feet seemed to fly out from under him as he lifted his Falchion. He should have waited for that hunk of metal to disappear before _ever_ trying to leave this place! His trusted blade burst through the beast with a well-aimed attack, purple smoke pouring out and billowing in his face. The man struggled not to breathe as the foul clouds rushed into his face. They weren't exactly sure what the effects of this stuff was, so it was better safe than sorry. Soon enough, the beast disappeared, and the sound of metal slamming against the ground rang out.

Robin found herself on her hands and knees as she fought to breathe. Her vision was clouding, and her head was throbbing so fast, it felt like it was about to be ripped off her shoulders. She wasn't a Cleric, but she was pretty sure that such things were _not_ normal. Numbly, she could hear Chrom's voice checking on her, but she couldn't even so much as lift her head. Bits and pieces managed to slip in her mind, but what little there she could process was not enough to make a full sentence. Gathering her energy, she managed to look up. Right away, the blues and silver mixed together to create a strange swirl. Her partner's face wasn't even visible to her at this point. The blue was starting to get darker and darker, becoming a harsh black that consumed everything. Her head had never felt lighter as she flashed another crooked grin.

The world was swallowed in black, and her head collided with the cold ground.

* * *

><p>"<em>Li—a!<em>"

Heads lifted in the heart of camp as strains of a familiar voice echoed through the tents. The Shepards looked around with a sort of desperation, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. Had their ears deceived them? Or had they really, truly heard the voice of their missing leader above the sound of their torches? Footsteps rang out as Frederick, the leader of the search, raced back to the clearing where the duo had last been seen together. Black eyes strained in the darkness as he lifted his torch high, trying to see through the bleak black that had engulfed the world. Soon after, others raced to his side, holding their own torches high.

"_Chrom__?!_" The lieutenant looked to his left to find the princess lifting her hands to her mouth and screaming at the top of her lungs, her eyes wet with tears. "Chrom, are you there?!" The young Cleric slowly lowered her hands with a broken expression, desperately looking out into the distance. Beside her, Cavalier Stahl looked on with worry. The band of guardians stood with heavy hearts as they waited, hoping with everything they had that their leader would answer. Dull heartbeats passed and the air remained silent, forcing a sort of unnatural silence upon all of the Shepards.

"..._Lissa!_" The young princess suddenly leaped up with a gasp as the voice returned yet again, ringing out clearly against the night sky. Relieved exhales passed through the crowd just seconds before the lieutenant ran towards the voice of his leader. Orange flames flickered before illuminating a black figure, revealing a battered Chrom. Frederick found himself smiling in relief before his eyes locked on to a bit of brown hair over the man's shoulder.

His heart sank as he found their Tactician being carried on the prince's back.

With her arms wrapped around the man's neck and her body hanging limp behind him, it was all too clear what had happened. The sting of regret pierced his heart as the Great Knight recalled his bitter thoughts of that morning. He had been so suspicious of her, thinking she could be a hidden enemy. Now, she was being carried into camp in the worst possible way. His throat suddenly felt dry, leaving him to roughly swallow and try to rid himself of the horrible feeling. Blue eyes slowly lifted to meet onyx orbs as the prince stopped short.

"...'Milord," Frederick fought for the words to say as he watched Chrom's shoulders rise and fall with struggling breaths. "I-I...We—"

"She's not dead," A stubborn gurgle rose from the man's throat as he lifted his chin. "Robin's still alive yet." Shock coursed through his veins at his words. Choking down a bit of sorrow, he looked just a bit harder at the heavy body. His heart seemed to slow as he waited, watching for any signs of life. Perhaps his commander had simply imagined things—

His heart skipped a beat as he found a very shallow rise of her side.

A bit of a burning rose in his chest as he stumbled forwards, trying to do something before they wasted too much time. "What happened out there, 'Milord?!" His hours of worrying came out in his rumpled scolding. "You two just disappear in the dead of night and come back hours later, half-dead and worn?!" His eyes narrowed as he quickly—but surprisingly, gently—took Chrom's burden from his shoulders and held the Tactician in his arms. Taking a minute to breathe, he stole a glance at the brunette. At first glance, there wasn't any signs of injury. The most was a large amount of caked dirt on her left cheek, but that was pretty much it. Only when his eyes looked closer did he see dark stains on her robe, revealing wounds on her right arm, left thigh and even a small splotch on her side. Looking just above her forehead, the Great Knight could see just a bit of dried blood, but whether it was from her or some other source he couldn't tell.

By the time the brunette man turned around, he was surrounded by the rest of their group. All eyes fell on the faintly breathing body in the lieutenant's arms, shock and fear snaking around the circle. A bitter feeling was stuck in Frederick's throat, forcing him to clear his throat and hope that his voice was unaffected.

"She's still alive, but just barely." Murmurs of relief rose above for a few seconds, leaving the man to wait until it was a bit quieter. "However, she needs medical attention _now_." He turned to the young blond beside Stahl and narrowed his eyes. "Lissa, we're going to need you to work a miracle tonight." Her eyes wavered, still wet from her tears. Suddenly, they narrowed with a flame of determination. The Cleric nodded vigorously before creating a path through the crowd and leading the way towards the Tactician's tent. Great Knight and Lord struggled behind as they headed inside of the small enclosure, leaving the rest of the Shepards in an eerie sort of silence.

A miracle, that is truly what they needed.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: Finally! This absolute monster is done! After nearly losing around<em> six-hundred words _after the find box got stuck under my main top bar of Firefox, thus getting me stuck on that page, I finally managed to get this done! Luckily for me, I found out that if you 'break' the page by removing the style of the page in the 'view' section of the Menu Bar, it allows you to see what has been typed in your document...box...thingy. Also, you can close the find box from there, which was helpful. So, if you ever do what I did and accidentally throw the find box under your light blue bar, REMOVE THE STYLE OF THE PAGE. You can either close it from there or copy and paste the text itself. It even saves your italics and bolding, so hurray!_

_So...battle chapter. This is a monster of a chapter at six-thousand, two-hundred forty-five words, but it was worth it. I really like how this turned out! Just so you know, this isn't my _first_ battle scene. I've spent quite a lot of my time writing battles in the Pokemon section of this site, so I have some practice. I've only written one or two fist-fights, so this is my first time writing all of this magic and swordsmanship going on. That's all first-time. I'm pretty proud of how it is though._

_OK, this also relies on headcanon a tiny bit. You see, I imagine that when a character has one health outside of battle, they're basically unconscious. I mean, you are literally one step away from death! You should _not _be able to do so much when you're like on death's door. So, Robin has one health here. Hurray for surviving by the skin of your teeth! Another headcanon seen here is that her/his robe is actually magic. I like to think that the big ol' cloak is able to regenerate itself if hurt...weird, but I think it would be cool._

_Will Robin pull through? What will Chrom say to the others about what happened? Why does no one care if the forest burns down in this game?! Tune in next time to see the answers! ...Well, except to the last one. I'm not even sure about that one..._


	4. And Who Knows?

Healing never seemed to take so long before.

On the battlefield, things were simple. Simply raise a staff over someone's head and the magic did the rest. There was never any need for checking bones, searching for a pulse or cleaning out wounds. Even if there was not a Cleric present, healing was still easier. All one had to do was to pull out a Vulnerary and take a sip. Before you knew it, you were feeling better than ever! However, things just had to always be harder than they should be. Soon after bringing the injured brunette in camp, the Shepards found a terrible lack in their supplies.

They were out of both Heal magic and Vulneraries. The camp was in an uproar when the discovery was made. They had stocked the convoy only days ago, and their most important items were already gone. Everyone searched desperately for any signs of the magic, but not a drop of liquid or a page of magic could be found. It was as if it had suddenly disappeared. Heck, the only healing item they had at this point was Virion's Elixers! The young man, recognizing the situation's critical nature, had indeed offered the use of his special potion, but an unconscious person isn't too keen on taking a sip, and this wasn't something that you could force down the throat of a weak breather.

And so, a situation that had already been a dangerous endeavor had only gotten worse within a span of five minutes. What could have been solved so easily was now a terrifying and horrible ordeal that threatened to kill their Tactician. If only they had realized that the supplies for healing had been low when they had the chance, or better yet, have never let the woman face such dangers with only the aid of their leader, Chrom! But no, they had not been as fortunate.

Instead, the young woman had to bend over an unconscious body and gently clear away caked dirt and blood with only water, trying to figure out the full range of damage. A sigh escaped from the princess' lips as she found her bucket of used water becoming tinted a pink shade from all of the discharge. It was a wonder their Tactician hadn't bled to death yet. She was thankful to be sure, but her patient's condition wasn't exactly improving, either. Before she knew it, Stahl had decided to lend a hand, siting his father's trade as an apothecary as the source of knowledge on plants and remedies. Lissa, worried as she was, was more than thankful for the aid, and soon found herself stocked with various herbs to treat, disinfect and better Robin's wounds.

Time didn't seem to pass as she kneeled there, her fingers trying desperately to fix what damage had been done. The only indication that time was passing at all was the occasional visit from Frederick to bring more clean water, Stahl bringing more herbs and poultices for the more worrisome wounds, such as the Tactician's thigh and arm, or even the occasional checking in from her brother, Chrom. These last visits usually only consisted of the prince sticking his head in reluctantly, asking the same question he's asked ten-thousand times before and then being shooed by his younger sibling. It was a wonder that Lissa was able to be so patient, but desperate situations tend to do that to people.

She finally had a better idea of what time it was when Chrom walked in without any sort of artificial light to see with.

The young blond had just finished treating that ugly gash on the brunette's arm when bright, natural light swarmed in. She bitterly turned around only to find her brother standing there with a worried expression on his face, his hand in his hair and the other hanging limply at his side. "Chrom," Somewhere in the night, her voice had become cracked and worn from both yelling for the missing individuals and crying. "She's exactly the same as you last were here. She's stable, but that's basically it." A sigh slipped out of her lips before she shook her head and dipped her chin to her chest. "I-I mean, she's not bleeding anymore, but she's still not awake."

Surprise slipped through her veins when the blue-haired man kneeled beside her and gave her a broken smile, his occupied hand falling down to her shoulder with a heavy thump. "Lissa," His voice, usually so strong, was equally as cracked and worn as his sister's, causing her head to lift in confusion. "You've been working all night." He paused to steal a glance at his Tactician. Her robe had been thrown aside to allow the Cleric an easier time in healing those more covered areas. Now, the young woman was wearing only a cream shirt and white breeches, the part of her uniform that never seemed to be seen. The sight only seemed to add to the surreal half of the situation, forcing him to direct his eyes to her face. The dirt had been cleared away long before, revealing the scratches left from scraping her face in the ground. Her hair had been released from its usual ponytail and braids, leaving it to be spread above her head. It was such a strange sight, to see her so out of uniform.

Robin shouldn't be here, inside of Lissa's tent and laying on the ground. This might as well have been his fault. He should have stopped her from going out there, or at least brought more than just the two of them. How could he have been so foolish? Chrom forced himself to swallow and turned back to his sister. "Y-You need rest." The young woman's eyes widened in disbelief as the young Lord went on, "Y-You've been working for so long, a-and we're all so grateful, but without any magic or—" Panic flooded her mind, forcing Lissa to speak up.

"Y-You're not giving up on her, are you?!" The horror that flashed in his blue eyes nearly made her sick. "W-We can't stop now! She may not be awake yet, b-but if I keep trying, I'm sure that she'll be fine! Chrom, you have to trust me with this! Please, I can't just _leave_ her!"

"You're not leaving her!" Panic switched targets, now taking over the young prince instead of his sister. "You need your sleep! I'll watch her for now, don't worry. You just need to get some sleep o-or eat something before you end up fainting on us as well! Lissa, you need—" Before he could finish, the canvas doorway was pulled back to reveal a young man in green armor, his face painted with worry. All eyes lifted to the brunette in the entrance, finding it to be none other than Stahl, a Cavalier in the Shepards. His mouth twisted awkwardly at the sight of his leader, but he soon recovered.

"S-Sir, I have a request to make."

Chrom slowly lifted to his feet, leaving his sister sitting in confusion on the floor. A hand lifted to his head, and a sigh slipped out of dry lips as he ran his hand through his sweat-coated hair yet again. "Stahl?" The brunette nodded with a shaking determination, waiting for his chance. "Just what is it? I-I'm sorry, but with everything that has happened, I don't believe we will have any training today."

"No," The young man and fellow sword-wielder shook his head and gulped down a bit of nausea at the sight of their Tactician's small breathing. "I-I was hoping to request permission to leave the camp." Silence fell upon their heads before the green Cavalier stood a bit taller with a flame of determination. "Sir, I want to go back to the small town that lies west of Ylisstol. I-I was hoping that I could ride in, purchase a bit of Heal magic for Robin and get back within an hour." Blue eyes narrowed as the prince took a step forward.

"Who is going with you?" The Cavalier's brown eyes fled from his leader as the words met the open air. Stahl shifted uncomfortably in place, avoiding the eyes of his leader. "Stahl," A bit of an edge rose in the blue-haired man's voice, bringing a bit of tension to the room. "Who is going with you? I need to know who's leaving the camp this early in the morning. We cannot just run off and leave—"

"It's just me." Chrom abruptly stopped with a look of pained shock at the man's words. Stahl fought for a bit of bravery before lifting his head again and frowning. "I didn't want to worry anyone or risk the camp...I thought that if I went out on Cinnamon, I could be back within a few hours at the most." Blue eyes slowly narrowed in anger as the Prince of Ylisse clenched his fist. Were his ears deceiving him? Was this young man _really_ asking to leave camp _alone_, after all of this madness?! He decided right there and then to speak up.

"No!" Brown eyes shot up to find the princess rising to her feet with worried eyes as her brother struggled not to lose some remaining amount of calm. Taking a deep breath with shaking hands, Chrom shifted in place. "Stahl, that would be utter madness!" His eyes drifted back to the unconscious Tactician behind him before turning back to the Cavalier. "R-Robin and I went out alone, and you can clearly see what became of that." He sadly shook his head before giving the brunette a pleading look. "I don't want anyone to leave camp alone from now on; it will only lead to disaster."

"B-But Chrom!" Stahl shook his head with a cringe of worry, his eyes now firmly locked on to the opposition. "Without that magic, R-Robin could—" His voice cracked and broke off abruptly, leaving the unspoken words hovering over his head like an executioner's axe. No one had to fill in the missing pieces. They knew far too well what could be at stake. The man struggled to find his voice before shaking his head to clear such dreadful thoughts from his mind. "W-We have to try, for her." Lissa looked to her brother with wide eyes, silent. Chrom simply stared at his Cavalier, unable to speak. "She would have done the same for any one of us."

At those words, the blue-haired man lifted his head. It was true. Despite coming to the Shepards in the strangest and frankly most unbelievable way possible, she had already become such a well-liked member of the group. It was almost as if she had always been there, or was at least destined to be beside them. She may be a reckless, battle-eager amnesiac, but she was also kind and generous when it came to her teammates. Such risks were nothing to her, even when she was outnumbered, outclassed and outmatched. Had their circumstances been reversed, with Chrom lying there on the hard ground, she would have ran all those miles herself to ensure that the healing items were acquired. The thought brought a bit of a bittersweet smile to the leader's face as he let out a sigh.

"You are right," A bit of hope flashed in the young brunette's eyes for a moment, bringing a bit of a smile to Lissa's face as well. "However," The Prince of Ylisse's voice became a bit colder and steady as he went on, "I cannot allow you to head out on your own, horse or not." He took a step forward before suddenly flashing that cocky grin his Tactician had given many times before. "Although, I could accompany you."

Stahl's eyes flashed with shock for a split second before the man shook his head and lifted his arms with a plea."B-But sir! What about your health?" His leader simply narrowed his eyes with a bit of stubbornness, ignoring the way his sister flinched beside him. "You just returned from battle, and no offense to you, but you truly are worn out! You've been up all night, worried sick—"

"I didn't say it would only be a two-manned mission, Stahl." The prince let out a slight hiss before returning to a oddly placed smile. "I believe we could bring at least one other Shepard with us, to even the odds. Two may be a bit risky, but I do believe that three could be enough to run to the small settlement and back. We wouldn't want to strain the camp's defenses with our errand-running." Both of the men stared for a moment before Stahl finally let out a sigh and took a slight step back.

"You're right," He cautiously looked up with a bit of worry present in his deep brown orbs. "But who could we take?" Chrom narrowed his eyes at the man's words. "I mean, we need to bring someone fast, otherwise this could run well into the afternoon. Besides," His eyes drifted to Robin's slight lift of her sides as she fought for air. "W-We...she..."

"You can't waste time." Both males turned to see Lissa standing with a half-smile on her face, her eyes red with her previous tears. "Robin needs your help, and standing around here searching for words won't accomplish anything!" Chrom's mouth nearly fell open at the stubborn tone his sister was using before shaking it off with a grin. "Now then," Her delicate hands rested on her hips before she used them to roughly push the boys out the door. "Go! You have to leave before things get too serious! You can never be sure with healing, you know." The Shepards turned around just in time to see a large flap of canvas blocking them outside, hiding away the broken Tactician and struggling Cleric.

"..Well," Stahl spoke up after a few moments with a sigh. "Looks like we should head on out, then."

"Head where, bedhead?"

Both heads snapped over their shoulders to find Sully standing there with a hand on her hip, her eyes narrowed in a judging manner. The Cavalier just locked up, unable to find the proper words to say. The woman's crimson eyes held a small bit of darkness inside, as if she had been thinking for a long time. An air of tension fell over them before Sully just shook it off with a laugh.

"Let me guess, you wanna head on over to that town and buy some magic for Lissa to use, don't ya'?" Both men exchanged a look of bewildered relief before she continued on, "Stahl, you're not the most quiet of individuals. Everyone in camp has heard your mumblings about goin' back and fetchin' that medicine." A bit of warmth rushed to the brunette's face before his leader could step forward and give her a confused look.

"While Stahl may not be the most secretive about his plans, he does have a good plan." Chrom placed a hand at his side as he brushed some stubborn locks out of his eyes. "So," A bit of a smile rose on his face before he lifted his chin ever so slightly. "That is why I shall be accompanying him to that small village."

"Well, might as well count me in." The woman grinned at the confusion in the Cavalier's eyes before explaining in a matter-of-fact tone. "You see, I've got the same idea. If I went ahead on Mars, I could grab that magic and even a few Vulneraries while I was at it." She shrugged while turning her head away. "After all, I've noticed we've got ourselves a pretty nice stash of gold coin in our collective purse. Must be all of those free Bullions we've been findin' on those walking corpses."

A bit of a frown appeared on Chrom's face. "So," Both riders turned to find their leader releasing a heavy exhale. "Two of my Shepards had thought of leaving camp without my permission?" Sully's eyes flashed a bit of panic before folding her arms and mumbling, while Stahl said something along the lines of asking for permission at a time of crisis. Despite this, the man flashed a grateful smile. "Well, I suppose it is a bit reassuring to know that I am surrounded by those with good hearts." The Cavaliers gave him a grin of relief before he went on, "The only thing left to do now is to tell the remaining Shepards about our journey."

"Wait," Stahl tilted his head before pointing to Sully. "So she's coming along too?" The lone female let out an offended humph before the Prince of Ylisse spoke up.

"Well, she did indeed claim that she was about to do the exact same thing that you had been planning." He rolled his right shoulder to loosen it before lifting his eyes to Sully's face. "In my opinion, I will take that as a silent extension of assistance." The redhead nodded at this before turning to the west side of camp and waving the others on with a quick flick of the wrist. Before long, they followed after her, agitating the dust of summer under their boots. The sun seemed to shoot arrows in their eyes before their arms could lend aid, causing the usual discomfort of bright and sudden light.

To their surprise, it seemed the rest of the camp had already gathered in the grassy area that had started all of the trouble in the first place, most of them standing tall with tired eyes. At the sight of their leader, all attention snapped to the prince. Chrom took a sweeping look and smiled at the thought that perhaps he wasn't the only one who hadn't slept that night. Heck, it seemed even the newest member of camp, Lon'qu the Myrmidon, had been out of his tent for at least _half_ the night. The sight lifted his spirits somewhat, causing him to take a deep and lifting breath.

"'Milord," All eyes locked on to the Great Knight, the brunette standing in the center of all the gathered individuals. The man walked forward, his armor clanking loudly with every step. He gave his leader a slow bow before he lifted his chin and spoke. "I could not help but overhear your plan." Chrom raised an eyebrow as most of the Shepards nodded in agreement, speaking a few words of confirmation. "I...was hoping that I could come along, if it pleases you."

Silence filled the air as the man looked to his lieutenant. His mind flashed with images of uneasy glances the brunette had shot the Tactician's way, words of suspicion spoken with a thin veil of pleasantries and the teasing of embers that had happened just yesterday morning. In all honesty, it was a wonder that he had never recognized the way that his two most trusted friends would avoid each other. Even on the battlefield, they had been separate. Heck, he was certain that Frederick's commonplace orders of guiding a second group away from the main attack-force was only further proof of this! For him to actually offer to help...

"Thank you, Frederick." The Prince of Ylisse gave his friend a thankful smile as his two Cavaliers stood with wide eyes. "I...cannot tell you how lucky I am to have you as my lieutenant." The Great Knight bowed his head in thanks before rising back to his full height, hands behind his back as always. "However," The brunette's face fell momentarily before he returned to his solemn stature. "I was hoping that you would stay and guard the camp." Chrom motioned behind himself, his open hand pointing to his sister's tent for an instant before returning to his side. "With the amount of Risen we faced last night, I would not be surprised if more appeared and tried to exact revenge for their fallen brethren."

Frederick slowly nodded his head before smiling slightly at his leader. "Of course, 'Milord. I would be honored to hold such a lofty station."

"However," Chrom broke in with a bit of plea to his tone. "I was hoping that I could ask of you a small favor."

The brunette narrowed his eyes in confusion for the slightest instant before returning to his proud stand. "Anything, 'Milord. All you must do is simply ask for it, and I shall provide to the best of my ability. Pray tell, what is it that you require?"

The blue-haired man lowered his chin for a moment in a nod before lifting it once again. "I know this may be an odd request, but I was hoping that I could borrow your mare." A bit of confusion passed through the clearing before he went on, "You see, Stahl and Sully both have their own mares, so they have a bit of a faster mode of transport than I do. I was hoping that I could borrow your horse, just for the trip." A bit of a smile slipped on his face. "I wouldn't want to fall behind."

Frederick smiled before giving his friend a nod. "Certainly, 'Milord. I would not mind if you borrowed Equa."

"Thank you," Chrom gave his lieutenant a grin before stepping forward, Sully and Stahl right on his heels. "We shouldn't be too long. This village isn't too far from camp, so it should only take a few hours at the very most."

"Good luck, my beautiful bird!" Virion jumped to his feet with a flourish, startling the nearby Sumia from her barrel and sending her crashing to the earth. Sully groaned as she walked past, trying to reach the tied mounts before anything worse would pour from his mouth. "May your steed's hooves travel as swift as you send my heart! May your journey be as safe as my warm embrace—"

"Save it, Ruffles!" A few stray chuckles aided in silencing the blue-haired Archer, the man's face quickly being filled with a red shade. "I'm only headin' to town, not Plegia!"

And so, with those warm words, the trio unwrapped the reins of their mounts, the worn leather twisting around their hands to give themselves a stronger grip. The Prince of Ylisse was the first to rise on his borrowed horse, standing tall amongst the glittering armor. Sully and Stahl soon rose beside him, their mares snorting in a display of eager energy. Chrom took another look at his Shepards and their voices wash over him. The sound of encouragement, well-wishes and short farewells brought a broken smile to his face. Indeed, even the wind seemed to be cheering him on with a mellow and strong voice! His eyes lingered on his sister's tent before he gave them all a nod and directed Equa to the south.

"Ready?" Chrom looked over his shoulder to find his teammates giving him a determined nod, Bronze Spear and Bronze Sword at the ready. Taking a moment to fell the hilt of his Falchion, he offered a silent prayer for speed in his endeavor. Then, with one last wave of his hand towards his Shepards, the Prince of Ylisse raced away, leaving tumbling clouds of dust in his wake. The sound of hooves overwhelmed his ears until all he could hear was his own heartbeat and the thud of horseshoes against the beaten dirt below. Lifting his head above the chocolate mane, he gazed out to the south, searching for his objective.

He just hoped that this magic would be enough.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: Oddly enough, this chapter was a bit harder to accomplish. Maybe it's because of that stubborn headache I've got, or perhaps because I went from my favorite 'slice-and-dice action' to the much slower 'emotional chapter'. It might have been a bit of a rough transition. <em>

_Alright, now I have to seriously stop and say **Thank you** to_ all_ of you wonderful people here! I mean, this has reached _over 1,100 views_ with only three chapters, _and_ the fact this this story was only started on the 28th of December. That's is incredible! I was honestly worried about this one not receiving any attention, seeing as I'm a bit more well-versed in say, the Pokémon fandom, but I am very happy to say that this is not the case! I mean, all of your wonderful comments have really motivated me! Thank you all so much for the warm welcome so to speak! It really means a lot to me to see that this is enjoyed by all of you wonderful readers!_

_Here we see that perhaps Robin is a bit popular, isn't she? It seems like the whole camp was worried about her! It makes sense...without her, they would kinda be dead... Anyway, it seems that Stahl has offered to head on out to retrieve the missing magic and Vulneraries! (On a side note, that word is really hard for me for some reason, despite growing up on RPGs) What bravery! However, it seems that Chrom will _not_ allow such recklessness after the events of the previous evening. However, a three-manned mission isn't too risky...and so Chrom, Sully and Stahl set off to acquire the much needed healing items!_

_Will they be able to buy such items? Will Robin make it through this rough time? Will Chrom _ever_ realize that the voice of the wind is _actually_ Kellam?! ...Probably not. However, stay tuned to find out the answer to your other questions!_


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